station cat

This is going to be a layout and a half when it's finished.

Inflation of course

There's a book about Ellis Island called American Passage which is really informative but also very readable. Nowadays you can visit the island which is a fascinating and very atmospheric place. I have some not very good pictures that I can post if you think they'd be any help.

If it isn't I know of a message board frequented by the developer so you can take it up with him Happy Wednesday everyone

I was going to say work but I suppose that comes under Plonkers (not us) Holiday pictures?

Great idea. Unfortunately our artificial tree is so big that we can barely get it into the loft undecorated and broken down into two parts.

My watch looked far better after its inadvertant trip through the washing machine. The strap was lovely and soft too thanks to the fabric softner

Sounds like every cat i've ever known. In fairness though there was one occasion where it was raining outside the back door but not outside the front door. Cue one very smug cat.

Just cos yer jealous

In fairness it does say unsure if the tender is correct - you don't say mate

Congrats to Simon and Dave on their respective wedding anniversaries. I hope Aditi's meeting went well. I have also given up hope where England are concerned and have switched my allegiance to Holland for so long as they remain in the tournament.

Well done Matthew. Staying with nice things we say about our fellow workers... A colleague said that my manager is very relaxed and even tempered, it's just that he moves smoothly from one disaster to the next.

I often say i'd follow my boss anywhere - but at a safe distance and purely for the entertainment value.

Congratulations to Tony and Aditi, let us hope their experience indicates that this is a good time of the year at which to marry - congratulations Robert. Andy if you think you'd enjoy teaching but not the associated aggro maybe you could look for teaching related jobs. Perhaps an educational role in a sciencey museum or something like that?

Well I showed my face at work today and several people politely enquired after my health. It turns out that the idiot duty manager told people i'd 'gone to hospital' without telling them why He also wrote in the absence log that I was 'visiting' my brother which I thought was rather an understatement.

Yep it worked in this case. No complaints whatsoever - apparently he even liked the food!

If that's the worst that happens to her she should be bloody greatful

I'd heard of the 365 pubs but not the 365 churches. Tells you what kind of company I keep I suppose Great pictures anyway Colin He actually called 111. But when he said chest pain the computer system immediately jumped to SEND AN AMBULANCE NOW! AT FULL SPEED! So they did. The paramedics were apparently quite put out when they found out healthy looking chap who let them in was also their patient - they were annoyed with the system rather than Football Special. Echo Jock's hopes that a positive update from the lifeboat station will be forthcoming.

We need a "this is totally insane what planet are these people on" button.

At this rate most of RM Web are going to be experts on employment law this time next year My aim ain't that good. Small targets and all that. EDIT: posts combined themselves. Awesome sauce

The guy in the bed next to station brother was clinically dead at 4am on Friday morning. They got him back, stented him up and he was wandering around very cheerfully yesterday. I think he's going home today too. Commiserations to Aditi, don't let them win.

I think the two are confused fairly often. Station brother being released sometime today, we will have to time our arrival at the hospital to minimise the amount of parking we pay for. Now I just have to clean the house before Mrs Stationmaster gets home

And in the latest instalment of reasons why the Stationmaster shouldn't have gone on holiday this week... My brother (occasionally Football Special of this parish), having been feeling a bit grotty for a day or so, called NHS 111 today (whilst I was at work). Since he had chest pain they immediately dispatched an ambulance - the paramedics were quite peeved at being pulled off their genuine emergency to somebody who was able to answer the door himself. After poking and prodding (are the backings for those monitor dots recyclable?) they decided to take him to hospital for tests. So bro calls my work to tell me he's being taken to the cardiac unit! Needless to say the duty manager can't actually remember who I am so it takes about five minutes for him to find me. Thirty seconds later he gets the phone thrown at him and I do a high speed departure for the coronary care unit (via home because there's no way my brother will have thought to take anything useful with him). Neighbour kindly agrees to look after cats if needed and to drive me over. I arrive at the hospital to find brother looking far healthier than the other patients, all the visitors and some of the staff. After many tests (so much for the don't get sick on a Sunday thing, they were great) brother is diagnosed with inflammation of the heart muscle, cause unknown. Contact is eventually established with Mr and Mrs Stationmaster via Harwich and goodness knows where else. On being told he'll be staying overnight (at least) brother is suitably greatful for pyjamas, toothbrush and clean undies i'd brought with me but really wants hair gel, deoderant and phone charger. Neighbour calls me to ask if I want to be picked up and is told "yes but first of all can you go into our house and find these esssential items". So basically my brother is in hospital (with his phone charger and a clean pair of pants) and Mr and Mrs Stationmaster will be home tomorrow. And our neighbours are great. And I might have another drink.

And for those following the Stationmaster's adventures, this is what Patricia did today (they also went on a callout to a broken bouy) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10900217/Two-divers-dead-after-English-Channel-expedition.html RIP gentlemen

RIP Tiny Cat, it's horrible when they go. We had a great deal of rain, thunder and lightning last night but today has mostly been fine which is just as well as I was outside raising money for the Riding for the Disabled group i'm involved in.